


I didn't choose to be here

by DoomNightAt12



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Hunter Association, Blood and Injury, Gen, He makes some new weird friends, Human Trafficking, Leorio is a bleeding heart and just wants to help, Leorio-Centric, On the Run, Parental Leorio Paladiknight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27533287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoomNightAt12/pseuds/DoomNightAt12
Summary: After what had happened days before, Leorio had planned to quit gang work and find a proper job.Now he was apparently running for some unknown force with a 'terrifying aura' (whatever that meant), alongside two kids, a bodyguard, and a business associate.This was not something he'd prepared for.
Relationships: Gon Freecs & Kurapika & Leorio Paladiknight & Killua Zoldyck, Leorio Paladiknight & Original Character(s)
Kudos: 16





	1. Days before

**Author's Note:**

> I began writing this before I'd even finished with canon, I was just too keen, so I'm still working out characterization. Sorry for anything too OOC. 
> 
> I primarily use they/them for my OC, but sometimes she/her too. They're here to drive some of the conflict, sorry not sorry Leorio.
> 
> First, lets see what happened days before....

Leorio stood tall, but apprehension was clear on his face.

"You know, anytime you call, I feel sick and come around expecting to spend my afternoon plugging up holes in your guts, because you once again took knives to a gun fight."

"Guilty as charged."

"However I now know, seeing you standing here, guts in tack and massive wad of cash in your hand, that there are worse things you can make me do."

Sireno gave a wicked grin, blue eyes glinting from under their black bangs as they waved the wad.

"As long as cash still talks, am I right?"

Leorio sighed, snatching the money from their hand, "And it's still talking. What do you need?"

"Latest haul didn't come easy, need your patch work to keep its value up." The gangster jutted a thumb over their shoulder, where the warehouse became cluttered with boxes.

"Moved onto live trade hu?"

Sireno sauntered away, almost vanishing from sight as they became dwarfed by the collection pilled in stacks on stacks. Even being a head taller didn't help much as Leorio took long strides to keep up, thinking on how many times he'd come here.

There were few places out there that would employ an unqualified medic, and zero places that would train him without the money. So what had he done? Gotten involved with Dasyurid's biggest gang as their go-to 'patch up' guy, where their injury prone operation manager was happy to give him a cut so long as they survived. A mutually beneficial agreement, so long as he was willing to look past the gore and illegal dealings.

The deeper they went, the louder was the cacophony of sounds that grew. Caws and barks and screeches echoed in the small space, but so did the sound of sobs and wails. Leorio's stomach was doing serious flips as boxes became crates and cages towards the back of the building, holding not just animals, but children too, most looking between six to fifteen years old. Some clung to the bars, crying out in fear and anguish, but most were huddled together, either sleeping or watching with wary eyes.

"These ones here." Sireno kicked a particularly short cage, which Leorio had to crouch to look into. Two boys, probably only around 12, were pressed against each other, and had clearly been in a loosing fight. The one with black hair was covered in bruises, and had his right forearm and left ankle twisted at a nasty looking angles. The one with white hair was covered in countless cuts, some clearly deeper than others, though the death glare he had showed he was ready to fight again if provoked.

“As much as a buyer could appreciate some spunk, kids like this are a total pain. Just put 'em on the path of mending and we'll leave it at that.”

Sireno lent against another cage, watching with bored eyes. Leorio couldn't help but sigh again as he moved to the side of the cage, daring to get a bit closer. When the white haired boy began to bristle with hostility, he stopped moving, and did his best to look as non-threatening as possible.

“Hey there. That looks kinda painful.” He pointed at the boys clearly broken arm, “Do you think I could have a closer look? I have a bit of medical knowledge.”

He didn’t mention is was all mostly self-taught and un-practiced. Wide eyes stared at him, curious and assessing. After a few moments, he began to scoot forward. The white haired boy actually hissed at his action, and remained close to his side. As the discoloured arm came up to the bars, Leorio was thankful to see that nothing had broken through the skin. He slowly put his arms through the bars, gently resting one under the elbow and one over the wrist, that he then moved closer to the break point. As he softly squeezed, looking for signs of multiple fractures, the boy flinched and his friend looked ready to go for his throat.

“Okay, that's fine!” He carefully pulled away, putting more than the child's arm length between them, “It seems to be just one break. Splinting it would be the best thing now to let it set right.” He looked over his should to Sirneo, “I'm sure you've got some planks?”

”Sure, but isn't that like arming these kids?"

“Yes, because I'm sure with a some wood strapped to his broken arm he'll be ready to fight again. "

Clearly not impressed by his sarcasm, Sireno stared down at the cage, before walking away. Alone with the cages, Leorio opened up his briefcase, preparing bandages and a sling. Sorting through his ointments, he glanced between the antiseptic and the white haired boy.

"You should let me treat your injuries too."

He got a glare in return, and then a small noise.

"What?"

"-said I don't need it."

"Stubborn kid." He glared in return, however the black haired boy turned to his friend.

"You should let him help."

"Huu? Why the hell would I do that? He's just another shitty old man who just wants something from us."

"Hey I'm not that old!"

"I still think you should let him help. He doesn't seem so bad."

Those big eyes were so trusting, it brought back the sickening reality of where Leorio was and what he found himself doing.

"Delivery."

A few lengths of wood clattered beside him, Sireno returning to their spot. He inspected them, picking out one about the size as the boys forearm, and gestured for the child again, who came right up to the bars. Under the watch of several sets of eyes, he applied some gauze as padding, before setting the plank under his arm and securing it with a wrap of bandages, uttering words of encouragement all the while. To the boys credit, he held still and barely flinched during the process.

Having not lost his head to the more aggressive boy, he fitted the sling and repeated the check with the boys ankle. Breaks that low were more awkward to splint, so instead he did his best to bandage the area to restrict its movement.

‘ _Not like he could go anywhere right now.’_

With a yawn, Sireno suddenly stood, "That's good enough Bud, you can head off. I’ll send word when there’s more work, you know the deal"

As the gangster began to saunter away, Leorio reached back into the cage, dropping a small vial of antiseptic and a roll of bandages into the boys hand. Met with a curious look, he nodded towards the white haired boy. He closed his case and stood, following after Sireno.

He spared one last glance as he left, catching sight of the children arguing over the bottle.

* * *

Flicking the remaining bills between his thumb and forefinger, Leorio let out a low whistle, before carefully tucking them back into his briefcase. After restocking his inventory, buying food and treating himself a little, there was still quite a bit left of his pay to put into savings. Since his first encounter with Sireno, his little stash had been growing semi-steadily, drawing his dream closer by the inch.

But then the memory of his bored looking employer, and all the children in cages soured that sweet taste of escape. He knew those eyes, both the ones full of trust and devoid of it, would be haunting him for some time. He wanted to help those in need, and saying that he couldn’t until he’d reached his goal sounded like a cop-out, not when there was always _something_ he could do.

' _Had there been anything else I could have done for them?'_

Not without Sireno questioning him, pushing the boundaries of their give and take trust. If he lost this source of income, he'd practically be back to square one, not to mention the target he'd paint on himself, since their be no way he could go toe to toe with with the knife crazy maniac.

_'... pretty lame excuses, honestly.'_

He mentally kicked himself. Was it really worth it? The work, the money, the trust, the fear of being sliced apart, compared to the lives of all those children, locked away from everything they'd ever known and sold off to who knows where?

He pushed his thoughts away as he turned into the darker side roads. Dasyurid wasn’t a nice town by any means, but there were parts where people knew him, and parts where people didn't care who you were, only if you looked like an easy target. Keep alert, have your wits about you, and don't show any weakness, those were the keys to staying alive.

Of course, it was hard to stick by those principles when you had a bleeding-heart as big as Leorio did.

Keeping an eye out for figures in the shadows was instinctive for protection, but as he got closer to his dingy apartment block, the smell of copper blood caught his nose and put him on high alert.

In the shadow of his doorway was a figure, hunched and clearly trying to keep their breathing steady. Blond hair hung low enough to obscure their face, but the blue and red robes marked them as a foreigner, as well as the two wooden swords at their side.

Leorio tried to approach cautiously and quietly, but his foot immediately nudged one of the countless broken bottles on the dirty landing, and the stranger was on the move instantly, grasping his weapon and assuming a defensive crouch. Now out of the shadow, he could see the massive red stain on the foreigners left shoulder, as well as several other signs of fighting across his body. He raised his arms, using his briefcase to shield his face from any possible attack.

“Whow! Hey! I-I’m not looking for trouble! Let’s stay clam!”

He waited a moment. When no attack came, he dared to lower the case enough to see blue eyes, watching with caution. He let out a breath, but didn’t lower his protection much further.

“...You’re kinda blocking my front door.”

There was a slight twitch of a blond eyebrow.

“...I though this place was abandoned.”

Leorio couldn’t argue against that. He lived on the dark edge of town because no one came looking for rent, seeing as the majority of the building was dilapidated and empty. He never bothered cleaning any of the trash or fixing anything to keep up the un-lived look.

“That’s how you trick people into not robbing you.”

He reaching into his pocket, fishing out a thick, old key. Now feeling the stranger wouldn’t attack him unwarranted, he slowly circled around them to get into the doorway, listening to the soft shuffle as they turned to follow his actions. He pulled away the planks and board covering the door, uncovering the lock to match his key, which let the actual door freely swing into the apartment. He took one step in, the stopped, turning to the blond.

“Come on. Can you stand by yourself?”

“What?”

Shock, then suspicion graced the blonds face, weapons raising higher. Leorio did his best disarming posture, keeping his palms open and facing out.

“You’re hurt. If you think I’ll just ignore an injured person, then you picked the wrong apartment door.”

Saying that, he probably would have looked for the foreigner had they been elsewhere, the trail of blood drops on the ground now clear as day to him. His senses always seemed to prickle when his stress levels rose, a strange sensation that grew when he assessed the injured. It innately told him that leaving someone bleeding like that would be a death sentence, whether from the loss itself, or from another vagabond wanting this territory.

When the blond didn’t move, he sat his case inside and dared to get close to them, crouching to his right.

“I just want to help. You're injured, but it'd be better to treat it where it's cleaner... and I can see what I'm doing.”

They remained still for several moments, eyes locked, the blond clearly searching for his intention. Finally they lowered their weapon, and pushed themselves to stand. When they faltered, Leorio shifted to lift under their arm, keeping them steady and slowly guiding them inside.

* * *

After lifting away the coloured tunic and shirt, peeling back the singlet that was plastered to the would with blood, he'd found a hole in their shoulder, as deep as his thumb, rough on the edges and without an exit wound. His patient, a boy likely still in his teens, had probably been stabbed with a length of something round, and was extremely lucky not to have suffered further damage or more bleeding. It took some fine needle work and a lot of gause to get the wound in a reasonable state, where I’d hopefully get better before getting worse.

The blond remained still the entire time, eyes closed, and Leorio’s thoughts drifted back to the children who’d also trusted him and remained so still.

“I’m glad you know what you’re doing.”

“Hu?”

He blinked up, falling from his state of concentration. Those blue eyes were half lidded, watching his hands as he finished wrapping the wound. Satisfied with his level of work for now, he pulled back, giving the boy some space.

“Efficient, precise, equipt. Certainly not some chop shop butcher.”

“I’m no doctor either.” Leorio grimaced, but quickly shook his head, “Are you injured anywhere else?”

The blond sat still for a moment, before a hand tenderly went to his ribs. There was a bright bruise blooming on his side, and a few smaller ones dotted across his torso, alongside scratches and scars of different ages.

“Nothing pressing. Thank you, though I’m afraid I don’t have anything to repay you.”

With a nod Leorio stood, shifting to the tiny kitchenette.

“Don’t worry about it, treatments free.” Something warm spread in his chest, almost giddy that he could say those words, “You should just focus on resting up.”

As he tried to sort the dirty from the clean, he heard his patient lie down.

“I’m actually looking for work.”

“Is that so?” He couldn’t help the surprise in his tone.

The mug in hand was clean enough. He filled it with some instant coffee and set the kettle boiling, before turning to watch the stranger.

"I wouldn't advise you to stick around here. Nothing but destitutes and mobsters in this town, works never clean.” He waved a finger, “You’ve obviously been acquainted already.”

“Yes. Which makes this the right kind of place.”

“What does that mean?”

There was no reply. Seeing the slow, even breaths, Leorio finished making his drink, setting himself back in his only chair and picking up one of the new books he’d let himself buy. As the light faded from the day, he found himself drifting off.

And when he next woke, his patient was gone.


	2. And Now-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life takes a turn for Leorio and his acquaintances.

It was early in the morning when the messenger came to Leorio’s door. A few rapid knocks, then a letter under the door brought him news that Sireno had another job for him. Slightly different once again, but the pay rate would climb accordingly, details in person.

It wasn’t like he wasn’t happy with the extra cash, but the memory of the children in cages had kept his mind restless for the last few days. He couldn’t settle between knowing business was business, but that trading in human lives was one of the worst things he could imagine. How many of those children had families searching form them, mourning the loss, presuming them dead?

People in power always say that sacrifices are needed for progress, but was it really necessary? Was it needed? There were more than a million ways to make money in the world, and so many didn’t involve stepping on another person to get it. He wanted to be a doctor so people wouldn’t have to struggle for money like he did, so they didn’t have to trample other people just for treatment.

That was it. He’d have to make his choice. He had to quit.

No more money built on others suffering.

* * *

When he reached the warehouse, two massive trucks and a car were already idling. The office was the first place he check, but not without sparing a look to the back where the cages had been.

They were all gone.

A whistle rung out, drawing his attention to Sireno leaning out of the office. They waved him over, and Leorio braced himself to break the news. As he strode in, his attention was caught by the flash of oddly familiar red and blue.

The blond he’d helped was standing by the desk, back straight and arms crossed, eyeing him with a calm assessment. Sireno had retreated back to their chair, shuffling through a stack of papers.

“Yo, took your time buddy. We’ll have to keep things short, so this is the new blood.” They waved to the blonde without looking up, but let out a small laugh, “He don’t look like much, but he made a convincing argument to join on as a bodyguard. Be sure to get along.”

Seeing the confusion and shock on Leorio’s face, the blonde put a finger to his lips in an obvious ‘keep quiet’ gesture. He then extended a hand.

“Kurapika.”

“...r- right.” He accepted the shake, the offer of a name clicking, “Leorio.”

Sireno stood suddenly, “Good, now we’re all friends, we’ll head out.”

They made a beeline for the car, signalling to a few others mulling around, who promptly got into the trucks. Kurapika kept on their heels, and Leorio stumbled behind, feeling lost.

“Hey. Hey! You haven’ even told me what this job is! You don’t even know if I was going to accept it!”

She slapped the roof of the car, sliding into the back seat. Kurapika took the seat to their right, and Leorio fumbled to sit to their left, mentally cursing that he was still following along, and not leaving like he said he would. Sireno patted the shoulder of the bulky man in the drivers seat, who began to drive away. She leaned back, grinning up at Leorio.

“We got a buyer, a _real_ good deal, but he wants the goods asap, so we’re moving it all out.” She jutted a thumb towards the trucks now following in convoy.

“And you wanted me here because?” He gave he an honest look of disbelief.

“Because there’s gonna be a chance for trouble, so I want my favourite medic on hand so I can go all out should the situation arise.” Her grin was wicked, and she quickly pulled out one of her hidden knives to play with.

That sickening dread once again filled Leorio’s stomach, thoughts of bullet wounds and knife slashes filing his minds eye. He spared a glance to Kurapika, who was calmly staring forward. The car was already moving too fast for him to make a break for it, and the idea of upsetting Sireno and being against those countless blades in a small space was a death wish.

He was stuck, for now.

He leaned back in his seat and sighed. Maybe he could do something for the captives, should the situation arise. He didn’t have any information on this ‘buyer’, but considering _all_ the cages were on the move, they weren’t likely to have good intentions.

* * *

They’d been on the road for hours, making a steady pace. Dark clouds rolled by, breaking up the harsh sun with the threat of rain. Leorio almost thought the downpour was starting when he heard a ‘plink’ against the car, except that the second ‘plink’ was much louder, and caused him to turn to see the spiderweb crack in the window behind his head.

There was a bullet wedged in the centre.

Sireno let out a humorless laugh when they followed his line of sight.

“Well, now I’m happy to have spent the extra on bullet proof glass.”

They sat forward and spoke to the driver, while Kurapika turned to scan the road outside. They were still on a mostly dirt road, flanked by a growing forest on the left and dry farmland on the right, the amount of dust being kicked up making it hard to make out any distant attackers. Leorio looked back past the crack as a few more bullets struck the car, and the driver began to make evasive action, spying a change in the dust.

“One of the tucks is stopping!”

“Bastards.” Sireno practically spat the word.

Of all things, no one in the car had expected Sireno to climb over Kurapika’s lap to open the door, flipping off the now motionless truck with a string of curses.

“Sellouts! Fuckwits! Morons! I’ll gut you all for this!”

Another bullet wizzed past, and Kurapika did their best to drag Sireno back inside.

“That isn’t going to help. It’s happened, now we need to consider our options.”

Sireno let off a few more curses, before righting themselves, “Right.”

“We could stop and fight, which could either get us the tuck back, or we lose both of them and our lives. Otherwise, we cut our losses and just keep going with the one, hoping they give up on pursuit.”

There was a grumble, displeasure clear at those choices.

“Fuck, okay, so we-”

Before they could finish, the car swerved suddenly, and everyone was stuck with a feeling of weightlessness as they became airborne.

* * *

“-ck. Fuck!”

The next thing Leorio saw was Sireno, frantically kicking at the buckled car door. The glass was close to the ground and at an angle, already dislodged from the frame as it became clear the car was now on it’s roof. He turned his head and found that the other door already missing, so why were they trying to get out-?

The dust cleared partly, and the sight of one of the trucks barreling toward them became clear. It was on it’s side, somehow torn open with it’s content spilling away. It struck the car with only enough force to shake them once again, both skidding further along the road. When he dared to open his eyes again, it was when he heard a triumphant noise from Sirneo, who quickly wormed their way out of the wreckage.

It took him a few moments longer to right himself and pull through the small gap. The dust swirled around him, and his head felt like a blur. His ears rang and his vision swam, but the rising noise of distress and more gunfire helped him shake it off. Littering the road was now a number of broken boxes and cages, scattering their content all around. His self preservation urged him to run, the cover of the tree line only meters away, but his heart screamed to check the cages.

The ones he could see through the dust were mostly wide open, and either empty, or twisted in a way that only the sheen of blood could be made out. His brain fought hard against his heart, which begged and pleaded with him to check for even the slimmest chance of survival. In some compromise, he dragged his feet to the closest tree, trying to get some cover from the bullets scattering the ground. His eyes scanned frantically.

Empty, bloodied, twisted, blood-

He recognised that cage, and there was clear movement within. He dashed out and surveyed its sides, finally putting his eyes on the lock, and the pale hands around it.

“Get back!”

The hands retreated, and Leorio pulled his knife, bringing it down into the lock with one swift motion. It clattered and cracked, and with a quick kick it fell loose, letting the door fall open. He bent to look in, meeting the same glaring blue eyes, though this time there was a level of panic in them. He was trying to lift his injured friend, being careful of the arm and leg still bound in bandages. A stray bullet struck the cage and made it clear there wasn’t time.

“Take my hand!” Leorio reached in, aiming his call at the darker haired boy, who looked at him for the briefest moment before extending his un-injured arm. He grasped his wrist and pulled, tucking the boy under his arm and turning to run in one swift motion. He didn’t need to look to know the other boy was hot on their heels, eyes boring into the back of his skull. Leorio sprinted into the trees and just kept running, until the sound of guns was long gone, and then continued to run some more. When he almost fell over a fallen log, he finally came to a stop, heaving for breath.

“I- I think we’re good for no-”

The three of them went on alert. Leorio could feel something approaching, that weird twist in his stressed senses again, but the boy under his arm seemed to zero in on the source as he craned his neck to look into the woods. They were getting closer and closer at a rapid pace, and there was only moments for them to choose to start running again-

“Thank _fuck_ you’re alive buddy!”

Sireno came into view from the shadows, clear relief still tainted by stress, Kurapika following behind. Leorio gave them an innocuous look, before his anger boiled up.

“Because leaving me alone in that car really helped my survival chances!”

“Erh, bygones be bygones.” They waved dismissively, “What matters is we get away as fast as possible.”

He huffed as the dismissal, peering back into the woods, “We’re pretty far now…”

She shook her head, expression dropping into fear, “Those weren’t ordinary bandits. I stopped to see who it was, and instead found a terrifying aura.”

Kurapika nodded, apparently understanding, “I concur. We should put as much distance as we can between us and them, should they come hunting for straggling survivors.”

Leorio looked over the children with him. The white haired boy was on the defensive, but wasn’t looking to move without his friend, and the dark haired boy was watching with those wide eyes, flicking between the people and the trees.

He crouched, slowly lowering the boy to adjust his carry, tucking his other arm under his knees and pulling him close to his chest. The boy didn’t protest, shifting only to rest his broken arm on his chest. Now at eye level, Leorio met the blue eyed glare once more.

“It’ll be safer to stick together for now. Are you okay to follow along?”

The boy hesitated, and life in the slums told Leorio that he was still assessing if he could take down the group and escape with his friend. But then the boy in his arm shifted and smiled, and the look dissipated, followed by a resigned nod.

“Good.”

Leorio stood, catching a glimpse of a small smile on Kurapika’s face. Sireno let out an impatient noise and began heading deeper into the woods, the group taking up a small jog as they hopped to disappear into the shadows.

* * *

“Do you have names?”

They’d travelled for quite some time, and darkness had settled within the forest, leading to Kurapika’s suggestion of making camp. Adrenaline had long worn off and the wiriness was beginning to show in stumbles and loss of direction. They collapsed into a small clearing, and set up a small campfire.

It turned out Kurapika had scooped up some of their luggage, including Leorio’s briefcase, letting him check over everyone for injuries, and tend to the older ones on the boys. He was re-wrapping the splint when he realised he’d never asked such a simple question. Sitting content in his lap, the dark haired boy grinned at him.

“I’m Gon!” He pointed to the other boy, who stared from over his crossed arms resting on his drawn up knees, “He’s Killua.”

The white haired boy, Killua, clicked his tongue and looked away.

“Nice to meet you, though unfortunately not under the best circumstance. I’m Leorio.” He also pointed out his companions, “The crazy one is Sireno, the calm one is Kurapika.”

“Don’t assign me labels!” Sireno seethed, briefly turning from their conversation with the ‘calm one’, who simply gave a look and small wave at the introduction.

Gon waved back, and Leorio chuckled, still a little dazed at the situation they’d fallen into. This morning he’d planned to quit gang work and find a proper job, and now he was apparently running for some unknown force with two kids, a practical stranger and a business associate.

“Do either of you have family?”

It was too late now to change anything, so why not go back to his thoughts of helping the children out? It seemed the least he could do, given the situation.

Gon scratched his cheek, looking a little sheepish.

“Yeah. I kinda left home to look for my Dad. Killua was helping me look since… uh…”

Killua was glaring at them, clearly not looking to have his past explained to a stranger, but Leorio could get the gist of it.

“So basically, you’re both runaways, who ended up snatched while you were out exploring.”

The way both boys froze confirmed that he’d hit the nail on the head. Killua began to grumble something about ‘ _stupid strong weirdos’_ and directed his glare towards Sireno, which made a small connection in Leorio’s head. Most of the scratches had healed up, but the sheer amount of them, and the depth of only a few, made it clear who Killua had tried to fight.

“Listen,” He kept his tone hushed, “Until those breaks are healed, I think it’s going to be safer for you both to stick around with us. You might not like it for now, but I give you my word that once were in the clear, I’ll help you get to somewhere safer.”

Killua looked back to him with eyes much to cold and calculating for a young boy.

“You better keep your promise old man, or else I’ll kill you.”

Leorio paled.

“I don’t doubt you would… and I’m not old!”

As Gon laughed at the exchange, Leorio lent further back towards the tree, wondering if he could catch a little shut eye before things got any worse in his life.


	3. What are you even talking about?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leorio gets a lesson on Nen.

“Leorio, you can use nen, right?”

“Nen?”

A look of confusion graced Kurapika, a hand coming to his chin as he tilted his head.

“No? I could have sworn you used En before.”

Leorio copied the confused look, “ _En?_ ”

“Hu, wait you don’t know when nen is buddy?” Sireno looked back at them, brows raised.

_Everyone_ looked confused. Leorio stopped in his tracks.

“What are you both talking about?!”

Sireno cackled, “Don’t tell him Kurapika, it’ll be funnier to watch him lose it trying to figure it out!”

The blond shook his head, “We’d be better prepared if he understood it. To learn it without a teacher is rare and could cause trouble if left uncontrolled.”

“You’re making it sound like I could explode or something.”

He swallowed when Kurapika kept a serious expression.

“Hey hey, so what _is_ nen?”

Gon wriggled in Leorio’s arms, waving to get Kurapika’s attention.

“Well-”

In a very teacher like manner, the blond began explaining. He did his best to cover the basics in a simple manner, mentioning that Nen was one’s life, their aura, and that there were four basic principles that it grew from.

Loeorio found himself, _kind-of_ understanding, and nodded slowly whenever Kurapika paused to look at him. Killua had gotten closer, now brushing against his leg, curiously listening to the Kurapika’s explanation, and even Gon seemed to be doing his best to understand. Eventually Sireno chimed in excitedly.

“Oh oh! Want a demo? Ren is my favourite.”

Kurapika levelled a flat look at the gangster, “You shouldn’t use nen carelessly, it’s dangerous.”

“Aw, I’ve given fair warning.”

Sireno twisted in place, grin stretching across their face and her focus flicking between Leorio and the kids. All three felt it instantly: the pressure, and the insatiable blood-lust.

Leorio was familiar with the sensation, and his body tensed in response. Last time he’d felt it so strong had been while Sireno was bleeding all over the floor, glaring with such animosity that everyone had run in fear to complete their jobs, though a few had collapsed on the way. He’d though he’d simply been getting use to their upsets, but apparently there’d been more to his growing resolve. 

Gon had gone still on his arms, pressing into his chest, and Killua had pulled away to retreat into a nearby tree, fear clear on their faces.

Sireno eased back, dropping her nen.

“So you’ve been subconsciously using Ten? Che, no wonder it’s been getting harder to spook you.”

Kurapika clipped Sireno over the back of their head.

“Don’t be so reckless. There’s still a chance we’re being followed.”

“Yeah yeah.” She pouted.

Leorio let out a breath and looked down at the boy in his arms. Gon’s eyes were still wide and alert, watching Sireno like a startled animal watching for the predator to move again. They all left a distance between them, letting Sireno and Kurapika take the forward march.

* * *

Sirneo paused.

“Hey, do you get the feeling-”

“-that we’re being watched? It’s been that way for a while.”

Leorio looked around, aware that something had been gnawing at his senses. “You would have thought they’d given up by now.”

“I think, it’s someone different.”

Leorio jumped a little, “A second stalker?!”

Sireno nodded, gazing around, “The sensation isn’t the same as back at the road. They’re keeping their killing intent _mostly_ in check.”

Kurapika scanned their surroundings, but it was impossible to see further than a few metres ahead.

“Let’s pick up the pace.”

* * *

They were alone again.

After keeping swift pace, whoever had been following had either lost them, or backed off.

“They could just be concealing themselves or waiting until we tire ourselves out.”

Leorio collapsed, “I _cannot_ keep running like this.”

“Maybe we could set up an ambush.” Sireno tapped their chin.

“Now you want to fight?”

“Stalker no.2 didn’t seem as scary. I’m sure we could get the upper hand with just the two of us.”

She gestured between herself and Kurapika, though the blond didn’t look convinced.

“For now, we’ll rest. We’ll test our luck once we’ve recovered a little.”

Leorio carefully set Gon down and stood again, watching as Killua moved in as he moved away.

“Be back in a moment.”

He wandered off to the side of the clearing, scanning the trees and bushes for anything suitable for eating. They’d been moving all day, and anything would help their energy at this point. After a few metres, he knew he had been followed.

“Hey.”

Leorio craned to look behind him, finding a sombre looking Sireno.

“…Hey.”

“What a mess we’ve found ourselves in.”

He scoffed, “Yeah. And you know what? I wasn’t even going to take this stupid job. I was going to take what I had and get out of dodge.”

Sireno didn’t meet his eyes, fiddling with her jacket, “…Yet here we are.”

“Here indeed.”

“Got regrets?”

“Plenty.”

“A shame.”

“I think meeting you was my biggest.”

“Rude. Paying you is now one of mine. I could have just threatened you to save my life.”

“So why didn’t you?”

They tilted their head up to look at him, expression almost searching.

“…You have promise, and rewarding that seemed like the best option at the time. The world will open up when you’ve got the skills and cash, that’s what I’ve always believed.”

With a shake of the head, she knocked her fist against his arm, usual grin a little strained, "Look, I may be a con, but I'm not one to go back on a promise. I'll get you your money, one way or another. Then you’re free to go do whatever you want."

“You’re not going to drag your bleeding body to my doorstep again?”

“I’ve seen you work enough that I’m sure I could copy it.”

“Now that would be terrifying to see.”

“Maybe _I_ should go become a Doctor!”

“That’s worse!”

* * *

Returning to their other companions, Leorio was a little surprised to find Kurapika talking to the two boys, both looking very focused on whatever lecture he was giving.

“Hosting a study group here?”

“Good, you’re back. Sit, you would benefit from this the most.”

He blinked, and complied, sitting cross legged beside them.

“Meditation is best method for awakening and controlling your nen. No better time to learn than now.”

Leorio let out a half sigh, but leaned in to listen closely. If learning this ‘nen’ thing would help him survive and get out of this situation sooner, then he’d put his all into study.


End file.
